Eddie James was the 108th person executed by Florida since 1976, for murdering an 8 year old girl and her grandmother in Casselberry in 1993. Born as Edward Thomas James in Bristol, Pennsylvania on August 4, 1961, he was raised by a stepfather named Matlack and did not know that he wasn't his biological father until he was 10 years old. Shortly after that, James went to live with his real father, a drug counselor who ironically got him hooked on drugs. In 1976, James went back to live with his mother in Florida but was plagued by addiction to drugs, including marijuana and PCPs, and resultant violent behavior despite his mother's attempts to get him help. He dropped out of high school at 17 and enlisted in the Army. After basic training, James was sent to West Germany but continued his substance abuse habits and was soon discharged as unsuitable for the service.A lot of James's life between leaving the Army in 1979 and the murders 14 years later is unclear. However, for a while after his discharge he became a drifter and wandered around the country trying to "find" himself. James returned to Casselbury and fathered a son named Jesse in 1983. He promptly hit the road again and made his way across the country to San Francisco, where he completed a computer learning course. One day his son's mother phoned him and threatened to kill the boy unless James came home. He obliged and came back to Florida. But James realized he wasn't very suitable father material and his substance abuse worsened. His girlfriend and son eventually distanced themselves from him.
By 1993, James befriended a man named Tim Dick and that summer Dick's mother Betty, age 58, let him stay in her home in exchange for paying rent. From the day of his 32nd birthday that August 4 until the murders a bit over a month later, he was drunk and high most of his waking hours.That September 20, James came home from a party at the home of a friend named Todd Van Fossen about two blocks away. He was extremely drunk, having consumed at least a dozen cans of beer at the party, and Van Fossen's girlfriend asked if he wanted to stay at their place overnight but he insisted he was fine and he was going home. Along the way he ran into another acquaintance named Jere Pearson. They stopped and chatted for a bit and Pearson said James took several LSD tabs. He said he was drunk, although Pearson claimed he didn't look visibly intoxicated. James stopped at Tim Dick's place, had a shot of gin, and then came back to Betty Dick's house.It was about 6:00 PM when he came in and saw Dick's four grandchildren sleeping on the living room floor. One of the children, Wendi, got up and saw him drunk and randomly giggling. James got a snack from the kitchen and went to his room. Shortly afterwards, he went back to the living room, picked up 8 year old Toni Neuner by the neck, and choked her with his all his might. Believing the little girl to be dead, he undressed her and vaginally and anally raped her. Toni's reaction appeared to be stunned surprise more than anything; she did not yell for help or put up any resistance. Once James was done with her, he tossed her body behind the bed.
James then walked to their grandmother's bedroom with the intent of raping her. He took a candlestick and slammed it into Betty's head. She awoke and yelled "Why, Eddie, why!?" Wendi heard the commotion and came to the door where she saw James stabbing Betty with a knife. James turned around to see Wendi. He grabbed and tied her up and put her in the bathroom. Believing Betty to still be alive, he got a kitchen knife and stabbed her in the back. He partially undressed Betty but did not rape her. He went to the shower to wash blood off himself and then threw together some clothes and other belongings. James took Betty's purse and jewelry bag and left in her car.He headed across the country, hocking Betty's jewelry as he went to pay for food and gas. The September 28 America's Most Wanted episode ran a story about James and asked for viewers to submit tips as to his whereabouts. The October 5 show ran some updates on the case and the next day James was spotted at a welfare office in Bakersfield, California trying to apply for benefits. He was taken into custody by local police.Dr. Shashi Gore, chief medical examiner for Seminole County, performed the autopsies of the two victims. Betty was stabbed 21 times in the back, the knife still stuck in her. She had broken ribs and puncture wounds to the lungs, liver, and diaphragm, as well as large cuts to the left side of the neck, under the left eye, and on the left ear. Another knife blade was found tangled in her hair. The cause of death was shock and blood loss and she probably died within minutes.
Eight year old Toni had bruising on her lips and the petichial hemorrhages in the eyes characteristic of strangulation. Dr. Gore believed she had been strangled by ligature. Her anus and outer labia were bruised and the roof of the vagina was completely torn. The pelvic cavity had a considerable amount of pooled blood in it. The ultimate cause of death was strangulation, but it could not be determined if Toni was still conscious when she was raped.On April 5, 1995, James pled guilty to first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, attempted sexual battery, kidnapping, grand larcery, and vehicle theft. In interviews with psychiatrist Dr. Michael Gutman, James revealed that his father and grandfather had both been alcoholics and that he himself smoked crack and used cocaine, LSD, marijuana, alcohol, and pills. Dr. Gutman considered his IQ to be above average. James said that on the day of the murders, he had consumed alcohol, crack, marijuana, and pills. He did not remember if he'd taken LSD or not. Judging by the amount of alcohol he'd consumed, his blood alcohol level would be three times the legal limit. In addition, the LSD would be at peak effect for about 30 minutes. His crimes were consistent with the actions of someone who had consumed a large amount of alcohol and LSD.
Neighbors of James testified that when sober he had been normal and helpful. He was known to play with Toni and Wendy Neuner outside their grandmother's house. He expressed regret for what happened as he did not mean to harm Betty or Toni, and said he'd never done anything like this before while tripping on LSD. On August 18, 1995, he was formally sentenced to death. After the usual drawn out appeals over the years, the end finally came for him when he was executed by lethal injection on March 20, 2025, one of three executions performed in the United States in as many days--Arizona executed Aaron Gunches on March 19 for murdering his ex-wife's husband in 2002 and Oklahoma executed Wendell Grissom on March 20 for murdering a young woman during a home invasion in 2005.
>>17987277>>17987281>>17987283yeah we've all done crazy stuff when we were high
>12 or more beers>multiple LSD tabs>a shot of ginhow this guy was even still standing after that i don't know
>>17987283>Her anus and outer labia were bruised and the roof of the vagina was completely torn. The pelvic cavity had a considerable amount of pooled blood in itthis is a new level of disgust i never imagined possible
>>17987273>Born as Edward Thomas James in Bristol, Pennsylvania on August 4, 1961, he wasPhilly suburb, I believe I've driven through there before at some point.
>>17987277that kid looks like a child in an 80s horror movie that gets demonically possessed and kills everyone
>>17987654this guy must have had an absolute hog of a dick to do that kind of damage
>>17987273how did this loser still manage to get laid and father a son?
